Inspiration

• Kentucky’s accountability system re-design decision to forgo growth and utilize improvement instead.
• Countless discussions at TAC meetings where accountability system terminology is used interchangeably and incorrectly (most notably by experts in our field).
• Numerous presentations at TAC meetings of poorly designed quasi-experimental studies using results from state summative assessments.
• Characterizations of “learning loss” and “recovery” during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Numerous staff meeting discussions about accountability systems and their design.
• 2023 Brian Gong Colloquium on accountability system design.

Coherence

• The term coherence is not frequently used in discussions of accountability systems and when it is, it is often not clearly defined.
• What is coherence with respect to accountability systems?
• What is incoherent about current accountability systems?
• Why is coherence important?
• How can coherence be instantiated in accountability systems?

Gill’s Framework

• Brian Gill’s (2022) paper, What should the future of educational accountability look like?, introduces a useful framework for indicators used in accountability systems.
• Three Core Components of Gill’s Framework
  • Processes: The activities, instructional practices, and organizational elements that schools implement to support student learning.
  • Impacts: The measurable effects of processes on student learning and development, often captured through growth metrics or value-added models.
  • Outcomes: The long-term results of education, such as achievement/proficiency levels, graduation rates, and other indicators of student success.
• Gill argues that for indicators to drive meaningful improvement, they must be:
  • Valid: Accurately measure what they claim to measure without systematic bias.
  • Reliable: Stable and consistent over time to avoid misdiagnosis or loss of credibility.
  • Robust: Resistant to unintended consequences and manipulation while capturing critical dimensions of educational quality.

Requirements

• R: The latest version of R (available from CRAN)
• Quarto: The Quarto CLI tool for building documents and websites (Install Quarto).
• Git: Version control to manage your code and push to GitHub.
• GitHub: Host your R package and website.

GitHub Workflow

1. Fork the Repository: Start by forking the packageSkeleton repo from GitHub.
2. Clone Locally: Clone the repo to your local machine using Git.
3. Push Changes: After making your edits, push them to your GitHub repository.
4. Deploy Website: Use GitHub Pages to host the Quarto-based documentation.

Customizing the Website

• Quarto Configuration: Customize the _quarto.yml file to change the website settings such as title, author, and repository URL.
• Add Pages: Create .qmd files to add custom documentation, tutorials, and more.
• Themes & Layouts: Modify the website’s theme using CSS or choose from Quarto’s built-in themes.

Building Your Package

• Add Functions: Use the R/ folder to store your custom R scripts and functions.
• Generate Documentation: Write roxygen-style documentation for each function and build it using devtools::document().
• Check Your Package: Ensure your package passes all R CMD checks by running devtools::check().

Publishing the Website

1. Build the Website: Run quarto render to build the static HTML content.
2. Publish on GitHub Pages: Push your changes to the repository and GitHub Pages will automatically deploy the site.
3. Preview Locally: Use quarto preview to see live updates of the website as you edit.

Conclusion

• packageSkeleton is a powerful starting point for R package development.
• Use it to streamline your workflow, create well-documented R code, and publish it with a professional Quarto-powered website.
• Leverage GitHub for collaboration, version control, and public distribution of your work.